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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. firm — a company
  3. club — a group
  4. chip — to eat
  5. drill — the tool
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. can — to be able to
  8. march — the month
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. drill — army training
  11. firm — steady
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. can — a tin
  14. chip — for betting
  15. field — for sport
  16. club — for golf
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. march — music
  20. foot — a measure
  21. club — for dancing
  22. drill — a practice
  23. firm — decided
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com